1. Did Swanson plagiarize or was it all just an unintentional, innocent mix-up? What would happen to a college student who did what Swanson had done?
2. How would you characterize the ethical leadership style of CEO Swanson? Was Swanson denying responsibility and trying to blame staffers for the error?
3. In Case 7, Swanson spoke out about people with “situational value systems.” Has he now engaged in hypocritical behavior?
4. What is your evaluation of the reaction of the Raytheon board of directors? Was the $1 million fine a serious attempt to punish questionable behavior, or was it a slap on the wrist administered for PR purposes?
5. What does this case tell you about corporate governance and ethical leadership?

Carl Durrenbergen, an engineer in San Diego, was packing up his cubical at Hewlett-Packard to transfer to another division of the company when he came across a copy of a 1944 book given to him by a former boss. The book was titled The Unwritten Laws of Engineering, authored by W. J. King. As he browsed through the little book, he couldn’t help but grin at the outdated language. Just a few days later, he read an article in USA Today newspaper about Bill Swanson, CEO of Raytheon, and his 33 unwritten rules, published under the title Swanson’s Unwritten Rules of Management. Durrenbergen thought for a moment, paused, and then a memory flashed into his mind. He quickly found the King book in his box of packed materials, looked it over more carefully, and was “flabbergasted” to recognize that 16 of Swanson’s rules were the same as King’s, even down to the identical wording. He later wrote on his blog: “Bill Swanson of Raytheon is a plagiarist.”